Candy Cane Kiss Cookies Recipe

These shortbread-style cookies have candy cane pieces mixed in the dough and the center is topped with a Hershey’s Candy Cane Kiss. This cookie is both festive and fun to eat. A great addition to the cookie platter.

* You must use butter in this recipe. The secret of a great shortbread cookie is butter or it just will not taste like shortbread!

** To crush candy canes, wrap in plastic wrap or place in a re-sealable plastic bag. Set on your cutting board and use a mallet to lightly pound on candy canes until crushed into a size that will be easy to eat and crunch on.

Remove candy cane kisses from wrappers so you have enough to for 3 dozen cookies; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix butter until creamy. Either use your electric mixer or beat by hand. Gradually add 2/3 cup sugar; beating until light and fluffy.

Stir in vanilla extract and crushed Peppermint Candy Canes. Gradually add flour to mixture, beating well after each addition.

Chill dough for up to 2 hours or overnight.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1-inch apart on baking sheet. Use your thumb to make indentation into center of each cookie ball. Edges may slightly crack, you can leave as is or push the edges back together. Press the candy cane kiss into the indentation

Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet before moving cookies to wire rack to completely cool. Cookies may crumble if you move while still hot.

Thumbprint Cookies
I love thumbprint cookies! In this recipe I’m using a basic shortbread cookie dough and filling the cookie with homemade Raspberry and Blackberry jam that my daughters preserved during the summertime. Use your favorite jam for the filling.

Cherry Gem Cookies
I love colorful cookies at Christmastime! They look so tempting to eat and always get me into the Christmas spirit. It’s as if this cookie recipe came direct from Mrs. Claus herself! I adapted this recipe to use shortbread cookie dough.

Comments and Reviews

5 Responses to “Candy Cane Kiss Cookies Recipe”

Elizabeth Houck

Wrong. You don’t put the kisses on before baking. In fact, it’s best to have them frozen, so they don’t melt when you put them on after baking. I guarantee they will not look like the picture if you follow the recipe exactly. The kisses will melt all over your baking sheet.

Actually your statement is not correct. The kisses will not melt into a puddle while baking. They will stay in tact. The tips of the kisses will brown a little after baking. Allow the cookie to cool down before removing them from the baking sheet. Don’t call a method wrong unless you have tried it yourself. Thanks!

It’s possible that more flour may be needed. When I make cookies in general the dough consistency can change depending on the whether, I sometimes add a little extra flour if the dough feels a little sticky. Chilling the dough for a couple hours can help hold the shape of the thumbprint.